


an apple a day (won't keep me away)

by fuscience



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: F/F, House/Grey's Anatomy Inspired
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-13
Updated: 2015-02-13
Packaged: 2018-03-12 03:54:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3342707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fuscience/pseuds/fuscience
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carmilla's the curmudgeonly diagnostician begrudgingly doing her job and pissing everyone off in the process. Oncologist Laura Hollis is the only one she tolerates. It helps that they're a little in love with each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	an apple a day (won't keep me away)

**Author's Note:**

> so, not really a house or grey's anatomy AU, but several character points (camilla's a diagnostician, has a limp and an unhealthy addiction to vicodin which isn't really touched upon, laura's an oncologist and basically her only friend) and then a plot point taken from grey's early arizona/callie storyline.
> 
> fandom loves aus, i love aus - we're golden people
> 
> lmi if there are mistakes it's been well established grammar is not in my repertoire; also, didn't look over super well cause roomie needs a drink tonight and i'm always there for a friend when it involves a bar

"What the fuck are you doing?" Danny's face is twisted in disgust as Carmilla just flops further down on the obstetrics table, legs spread wide as if she were about to be examined. It's practically pornogrpahic and Danny gags a little. "You're supposed to be in exam room F!"

"Didn't feel like it." She continues to feign sleep, but she can feel the shit show beginning and it fills her sardonic little heart with joy.

"Didn't feel like -" Carmilla opens one eye and grins as the much taller girl's face starts to turn the same shade of red as her hair.

"Look, you don't want to be in the pit then don't fuck around and get caught, but there are patents waiting on you and whether you think they're worth your time or not they need your help."

This makes Carmilla frown, "Your patients are boring, Clifford. All broken bones and whiny stomach aches." She's sort of right - very few doctors would ever call a twelve-car pile up boring, but those are rare and Carmilla's the type of doctor who gets her thrill from the chase, not from the save itself. It's why she became a diagnostician. 

"Get out. I'm your supervisor down here, so get out, go do your job, or I'll report you." Danny points furiously at the door - her patience for Carmilla is about as long as it for the dudebro E.M.T. that works Sunday and Monday day shifts and manages to piss her off at least once during each of them.

"Fuck. Whatever." She slouches off the table and reaches for her battered leather jacket.

"Can't you even wear a white coat?"

"It's November."

"So?" Carmilla tilts her lips upward in an arrogant twist,

"After Labor Day Ginger Giant - wouldn't want to commit a crime against high fashion."

"Why not? You're already a crime against this profession!" Danny yells out as the door closes, grumbling under her breath after the other doctor leaves and crossing her fingers that Carmilla actually goes where she's supposed to - Carmilla may be the one slacking, but Danny will still be the one explaining the back log of patients, covering for her leather-clad ass.

 

* * *

 

 

"Jesus Christ, are you serious?!" The entire floor turns toward one of the checkin rooms at the shout. Inside a couple stands with a child, cowering a little at the infuriated doctor. They nod and Carmilla might throw up on them for it. How are people actually allowed to have children? There should be an examination before a couple is allowed to procreate. How the frilly hell do you put your six month old on a vegan diet and then wonder why they're losing weight?

"Babies need fat, protein, calories all more important than hemp and sprouts." Carmilla taps the dad's stomach with the end of her cane. "Starving your child is frowned upon and actually italicize illegal in many countries - including this one, veggie tales. Feed your baby and come back in two weeks, or I will report you fuck twits to CPS."

Laura stands waiting for her outside the room, after the family walks despondently out, heads bowed in shame, and Carmilla resists the urge to rub her temples - a headache is fast approaching and her leg is starting to hurt. Scratch that, it's been hurting since she's rolled out of bed, but it was only now reaching her pain threshold.

"How'd you know where I was, sundance? I specifically told the dimwit squad not to inform you of my location."

Laura smiles not put off in the slightest, "Oh, I just had to follow the sounds of patients crying and there you were." Danny had told her - the E.R. Doctor always looking for a way to piss off Carmilla without actually being mean (and the best way to avoid Carmilla's wrath, everyone knew, was to be nice to Laura - to make it a favor for Laura).

"So what's going on in there?"

"Idiots who can't even take care of themselves, let alone understand the proper nutrient needs for a child. Stupidity is a crime in and of itself, sweetheart."

Laura frowns - Carmilla is acerbic at best, but she's generally right and, most of the time, the people she lashes at deserve her ire. Laura also has no patience for people who abuse children.

"Idiots." She agrees.

Carmilla grunts and walks away, leaving the other girl to scramble after her. "Is your leg hurting?"

Carmilla stops and turns to glare at her, hoping Laura can suddenly read minds and understand the words _buzz off_. It's throbbing and yeah, maybe her kneecap has swollen to the point that she probably couldn't pull her pants off if she wanted to but that's really none of her business (it is - Laura's the only one she lets ask about her leg) unless Laura's going to be the one taking Carmilla's pants off - which, she thinks to herself, is highly unlikely. She bares her teeth, withdrawing a bottle from her jacket and twists the cap off before throwing a Vicodin into her mouth. Carmilla says, "Nope."

And Laura frowns again - that's at least the second one today, the other she'd seen disappear over a skimpy breakfast of coffee and Cliff bars and it's only two in the afternoon.

Laura Hollis works in oncology. Her mother had died of breast cancers at the tender age of ten and so she had deigned herself to a lifetime of misery watching her patients wither and die in the same manner. Or, at least, that was Carmilla's take on it. She was also Carmilla's roommate - eight years running. Paired together in medical school (Carmilla a senior when Laura's a sophomore) they never quite got away from each other. Laura liked to compare her to a benign growth (except when dishes and clothes piled up, then she was a living example of the dangers of staphylococcus bacteria and _Jesus, Carmilla is that mold?_ ). She limps down the hallways trying to ignore the pressure in her kneecap - there's nothing Carmilla can do about the pain except drug herself up or never walk again and well, Carmilla likes being able to escape the annoyances of all her co workers.

Her office is big, befitting a valuable asset to the hospital, and she lets the door shut behind her, not bothering to hold it for Laura, who's following behind her. Carmilla attempts to flick the lock, but the other girl is pushing her way in before she can even grip the handle properly and Carmilla sighs, resigning herself to the cancer doctor's company until one of them is paged.

"Is the door shutting not enough of a sign, sweetheart?" Laura laughs softly as Carmilla turns on the record player sitting on the window sill behind her desks, picking the needle up and placing it exactly where she knows the music will begin. The notes float through the room and Carmilla begins to relax in her seat.

"Sometime I think you were born in a different century."

Carmilla smiles, "Maybe just the wrong decade cupcake - the 80's sound like they could have been wonderful."

"Yeah, totally punk rock i'm sure but, then, you wouldn't have met me." Laura circles Carmilla's desk and goes to stand next to her seated form, leaning back against the edge of the wood. "And that would be a tragedy."

"A lifetime without you would be utterly disappointing indeed, " Laura's face heats up a little, the words hitting close to her heart, and she shifts on her feet, nervously twiddling her fingers. This makes Carmilla perk up - she knows Laura's tells like the back of her hand and this one is screaming at her. "You're twitching cupcake."

Laura looks up, offended, "I am _not_   twitching." Her foot bounces and Carmilla looks pointedly at it.

"What's up, buttercup?"

"I-I um got the fellowship." Laura smiles in spite of herself because she's going to one of the best Cancer research facilities in the world and the things she'll learn could be life-changing for her patients here and then, Carmilla's lips twitch into a small smile too and Laura is suddenly over the moon. "Fifteen months in Texas at M.D. Anderson." Carmilla is her only regret, Laura doesn't want to leave her misanthropic self to hole up in their apartment for months and she knows, whether Carmilla says it or not, that the older woman doesn't want her to go either - their fights had been explosive, to say the least, when Laura had first told her of the application. Which is why she was surprised when Perry had told her (she doesn't know how the Head Nurse has gotten the information, she had long ago stopped trying to understand the magical networking of nurses - they were truly miracle workers). "And I know you recommended me for the position so -"

"They asked me, I answered honestly."

"Right, I know you didn't do it for me, but it was - "

"Jesus Christ on a cracker, cupcake. That's not what I meant." Carmilla can't stand, her knee is worse than she thought, but she's not about to reveal that. So, she turns her chair and grabs for Laura's wrist, staring up at her, trying to convey what she means without using the words that need to be said. "Don't be stupid, of course I did it for you."

Laura's leaving. She's leaving and it hits Carmilla like a ton of bricks but that means there's nothing to lose now, nothing that won't be going anyway. Carmilla's heart sinks a little bit and she tries to ignore the stupid butterflies in her stomach.

"I want you to be happy." She murmurs, before dragging Laura forward by her elbows until she tips into Carmilla's lap and Carmilla can kiss her softly. It takes a moment for Laura to realize what's happening but _holy shit_ , Carmilla's kissing her and she'll admit to fantasizing heavily about this moment - sometimes she enjoyed pretending they were married and the apartment was their home and the dinner she made for the two of them was more than just grilled cheeses in passing, it meant something. It doesn't matter now though. It doesn't even matter that she's leaving the state in less than 48 hours for over a year because Carmilla's kissing her and her lips are a little chapped and dry and the leather of her jacket is worn and soft and Laura is so, so happy right now. She finally reaches up to grab the collar of Carmilla's shirt to pull her forward and deepen the kiss, squirming to get more comfortable before throwing a leg over Carmilla's waist so she can straddle her on the chair. Thank god they are both tiny.

"Carmilla." She whispers into her mouth, kissing her again. " _Carmilla._ " 

* * *

 

They stand together at the gate, other passengers milling about as the flight attendants get ready to call boarding groups, and Carmilla shuffles around, pulling the lapels of her leather jacket closer together to fight off the chill of Chicago, early spring. Her hands attempt to warm up within the recesses of her pockets and she temporarily considers buying a ticket to Texas too - she bets no one there has ever accidentally frozen their coffee by leaving it next to an open window.

"So." Laura bites her bottom lip and Carmilla sighs, rolling her eyes before moving in to press their lips together hard. Laura breathes happily into the kiss, hands coming up to cup her face and pull her closer, feeling how the other girl leans into her.

 

"I'll see you in fifteen months, cupcake. Don't get all sweaty and delirious without me." And then she walks away, cane tapping the ground, leaving Laura staring after her, smiling, waiting for the plane to arrive at the gate. 

 

* * *

 

 

It's February and freezing. In all honesty, Laura's lucky her plane made it - while, the Tarmac in DFW had been clear O'Hare was notorious for its closures and weather delays. Carmilla doesn't know she's back either. On their last call she'd purposely told her Saturday as opposed to Friday and Laura is looking forward to showing up unannounced on her doorstep.

The doors the same. Laura thinks and then, hopes everything else is too. She knocks and licks her lips in anticipation. It's 10 a.m. so, Carmilla might not be up yet, but she knows she's home - LaF had checked the schedules for her back at the hospital. No one comes to the door at first, but Laura keeps pounding until she can hear some muffled cursing on the other side. The door swings open and Laura's breath hitches at the sight.

"Do you _fuckers_ know what time - Laura?" Carmilla stops mid sentence, noticing her and freezing in the doorway. Laura sees she's wearing the fleece pajama pants Laura had sent her, covered in dark blue lone stars and obnoxiously orange Longhorns and falls a little bit more in love. 

"Surprise?" She spreads her arms, waving her duffle in the air.

"I thought you weren't coming home until tomorrow?" 

"I lied."

Laura can feel her face fall at Carmilla's stunned reception, "Sorry, maybe this wasn't a good idea. I'll go."

"Wha -? No!" Carmilla voice is high and strangled and she grabs Laura by the wrist and yanks her into the apartment. Laura drops her bag on the door mat and Carmilla moves forward, crowding her up against the door. No way is she going anywhere - Carmilla won't admit, but everyone in the hospital has taken to calling her Cranky Carmilla Karnstein or, in Danny's case, Laura's whipped bitch and, yeah, maybe she's been a little out of sorts since her roommate _of eight years_ decided to hoof it with cowboys and rednecks for fifteen fucking months. "Fifteen months cupcake. You're not going anywhere."

"Oh." Laura squeaks out and Carmilla wraps her arms around her waist and buries her head in the crook of Laura's neck until they both relax and sink into the embrace. "I missed you too."

"Where's the rest of your stuff?" Camilla asks, still resting her head on Laura's shoulders and, for once, grateful she's only one inch taller than the other girl.

"It's being shipped."Laura breathes into Carmilla's hair, smelling it. A pair of lips touches her pulse point and Laura's heart jumps, feeling Carmilla nibble at her collarbone, neck, jawline before meeting her gaze.

"Laura." She says it with awe in her voice and Carmilla is so stupidly in love with this girl that it hurts.

"Camilla." 

Laura's smile creeps on her face, teasing, but the places Carmilla kissed still burned so she is all for whatever is running through her roommate, coworker, friend, lover, _whatever's_ head. Carmilla's pushes and pins her against the door with her hips, whispering in her ear, "I haven't had anyone in my bed for over a year, and the hospital and home has been decidedly horrible." _since you left_. She doesn't say it. "So, executive order - we have the weekend off."

Laura nods in complete agreement. Then Carmilla is kissing her and, g _od_ , months of Skype calls weren't enough - _they weren't even close_ \- Laura missed her so much. It's weird being with someone for eight years, but not truly _being_  with them and then, suddenly, you're really together, but separated by several states. It's not enough. Carmilla kisses the point of her jaw and Laura frees her hands enough to reach down and begin unzipping her pants, pushing them over the sharp edge of Carmilla's hips.

"You didn't get a new roommate." Carmilla whines a little in her ear as Laura slips a hand into her pants, fingers finding and pressing against her clit, wetness seeping through her fingertips.

"I've had one roommate who could stand me and she decided to go to Texas, thought I could handle the lease until she got back."  She replies, a little out of breath, cupping Laura's face tenderly. "Now, sweetheart, I would like to take you to bed."

Laura's face turns red, but she smiles softly whispering _I missed you, I missed you_  and let's Carmilla take her hand and lead them into her room.

* * *

 

Carmilla's pager goes off around 5 p.m., as evening traffic is probably beginning to build, and Laura reacts by groaning and wrapping herself further around Carmilla's waist. "Nooooo. What happened to staying in bed the whole weekend?"

Carmilla leans over the dresser reading the code and cursing under her breath before turning to flash a set of teeth at her bedmate - Laura knows where that mouth has been and it makes it infinitely more attractive, "Duty calls. Tell the assholes of the world to stop being fucking weird and maybe I wouldn't be in such high demand."

Laura grunts, watching Carmilla pull away to walk around the room and shrug on a pair of pants, throwing a wrinkled flannel shirt over a tank top as well. "I'll be back." As she's walking out the door, Carmilla stops and heads back towards the bed, laying a quick kiss on the edge of Laura's temple, before crooning, "And there's always the on-call room if you want to drop by for a visit."

Her breath is hot and filthy against Laura's ear. 

It's good to be home.

 


End file.
